Revelation 11:18 — Ruin those ruining
Revelation 11:18 here says, literally:
‘and to destroy those destroying the earth’
It’s not really possible translate this into English properly, because there’s a double-meaning in the words that we don’t have in English.
You see, the same word, diaphtheiro (destroy), is used twice in two different inflections: ‘to destroy’ and ‘destroying’, but the word has several meanings. It can mean:
- To (physically) destroy, ruin, lay waste
- To (physically) corrupt or spoil (meaning to make it decay, like that of a dead body or expired food)
- To (morally) corrupt or spoil something or someone, or deprave
The context suggest that these evil ones will be physically destroyed or killed, but it can hardly be said that any humans are capable of ‘destroying the earth’.
Yes, some argue that this is a mini-prophecy about modern pollution, deforestation, and other environmental problems. However, the simpler answer is that it’s just a play on words, with the second meaning pointing to moral corruption.
So the intended meaning is probably this:
‘and to kill those morally corrupting the earth’
But in the original language, it’s a play on words, using the same word twice but with two different meanings; it’s likely exploiting the double-entendre of both physical destruction and moral corruption.
In our translation, we just say ‘corrupting’ rather than ‘morally corrupting’ so some of the original ambiguity is conveyed, as things can still be physically corrupted.